Abstract

The aim of this research was to detect oral Streprtococci bacteriophages from Persian Gulf. Dental plaque samples were collected using sterile explorer and cultured in brain heart infusion (BHI) Broth. The oral Streptococci were isolated in culture media. The Persian Gulf water sample was gathered using a sterile bottle from the depth of 50 cm under the inframarine surface at Boushehr Port, Boushehr state, Iran. The Persian Gulf water was centrifuged and its supernatant was filtered through a 0.45 micrometers membrane filter and with a sterile Millipore filtration system. The filtrates were added to activate oral Streptococci at their logarithmic phase and cultured in (BHI) Agar using overlay method. Bacteriophage plaque forming assay in (BHI) Agar and clearance of (BHI) Broth suggested the presence of specific bacteriophages in sample. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the capsid of the isolated bacteriophage was hexagonal (diameter: ~ 83.33 nm) most probably related to Cystoviridae family. This is the first report of isolation and identification of oral Streptococci bacteriophages from Persian Gulf located in South of Iran. The applications of these lytic phages as a potential for phage therapy of dental plaque could be considered as the significance and impact of the present study.

Key words: Persian Gulf, Streptococcus salivarius, bacteriophages, phage therapy, dental plaque, pharmaceutical and medical biotechnology.